New technologies. New trends. New client expectations.

The accounting profession today is dramatically different than it was just a few years ago. Every day the learning curve becomes steeper and harder to climb. That’s why Sage has partnered with the Business Learning Institute to offer Leadership Education for Accounting Professionals.

“In a period of rapid change and increasing complexity, the winners are going to be the people who can learn faster than the rate of change and faster than their competition.” –Tom Hood, CPA.CITP.CGMA, Business Learning Institute

Webcasts

Live and replay at schedule times, these 1-2 hour webcasts give you the freedom to participate online. Instructors are always available to answer your questions and best of all, no tests! CPD eligible.

Sage Education Bundles are designed to assist you with transforming your firm or business. All of the courses in each bundle are available 24/7 on Sage University.

Expand your services—Offer your clients more than tax and compliance. Learn how you can provide practice consultation that strengthens your relationship with your clients.

Grow your firm—Acquire and retain more clients. Get the guidance you need to stay ahead of the technology curve, giving you a definitive edge over other accounting professionals.

MBA key concepts—These sessions are designed for individuals who want to develop a broad perspective on how to deal more effectively with today’s rapidly changing and increasingly complex business environment.

Expand and enhance your firm—If you’re looking to really understand how to be more efficient, expand your services, and grow your firm, this all inclusive bundle is made for you.

The Sage Difference

These are not your traditional CPD classes!

Leadership Education for Accounting Professionals will help you:

Improve customer relationships - Add more value to your client relationships by shifting the focus solely from tax and compliance to the insights and guidance your clients are asking for.

Stay current - Stay on top of emerging trends for accountants and small businesses.

Get the flexibility you need - Optimize your knowledge and skills in the format you prefer—live or online.

Meet our instructors

The profession’s best and brightest are leading courses across North America, in-person and online, equipping you with the tools to become a leader in today's rapidly changing business environment.

Karl Ahlrichs

In a world of specialists, Karl Ahlrichs is first and foremost a human resource consultant and hiring process expert but also has significant experience in a wide range of business roles. Learn more

Sheila Birnbach

For more than 30 years, Sheila Birnbach has followed her passion of helping individuals and organizations become more successful.
She founded the consulting firm Birnbach Success Solutions (formerly GB Associates, Inc.). Birnbach Success Solutions works with small- and midsized organizations to enable them to attract and retain great employees and offer superior customer service that sets them apart from their competitors. Learn more

Greg Conderacci

For more than three decades, Greg Conderacci has been using the magic of communication to help people lead happier, more productive, and more rewarding lives. Learn more

Bob Dean

Bob Dean, CPA has over 25 years’ experience focused on strategy and innovation in learning and talent development. Bob has served as a chief learning officer and a global learning leader for the past decade and now serves as a trusted advisor to clients focused on learning and development and talent management strategy and solutions. Bob combines business experience with a passion for designing, developing, and delivering breakthrough learning and talent management experiences and driving business impact. Learn more

Jennifer Elder

Jennifer Elder, CPA, CMA, CIA, CFF, CGMA is a keynote speaker, trainer, and business coach in the business of business transformation. For more than 20 years, she has been helping businesses by peeling back the layers of “administrivia” and finding the hidden strengths and core values that make companies awesome. Learn more

Sarah Gershman

Sarah Gershman is an executive speech coach with more than 15 years of teaching and theater experience. Sarah specializes in helping clients who work in date driven fields to clarify their message and cultivate presence. Learn more

Hubert Glover

Dr. Hubert D. Glover is an experienced leader and academician with more than 30 years of leading major enterprises including subsidiaries of PricewaterhouseCoopers and a joint venture with Shell Oil along with launching his own company REDE Inc. (which has won numerous awards for its services to federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies). Learn more

Emmanuel Gobillot

Recognized as one of Europe’s most sought after and engaging business speakers, Emmanuel has made a name for himself challenging the most conference weary of audiences. Learn more

Bill Sheridan

Bill is a knowledge hunter, content curator, lifelong learner, and the Maryland Association of CPAs’ chief communications officer, editor, and resident social media cheerleader. He is the creator and coauthor of the association’s acclaimed blog, CPA Success. He also writes and produces the MACPA’s podcast, CPA Spotlight, and manages the association’s numerous social networks. Learn more

Tom Hood

Tom Hood is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant, featured in the Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Today, and AccountingWeb. He is passionate about three areas: leadership, learning, and technology. These passions are reflected in his numerous recognition and awards which include being named the second most influential leader in the CPA Profession in Accounting Today’s 2013 list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting (his ninth time on the list), being recruite by LinkedIn as one of its Top 150 Influencers, and being named to the Top 25 Influencers in Learning by HR Examiner. Learn more

Courtney Kirschbaum

Courtney Kirschbaum has spent more than 15 years project managing key initiatives for global business consulting firms and coaching individuals and teams. She has managed projects around the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific. Learn more

Ed Kless

Ed Kless joined Sage in July of 2003 and is currently the senior director of partner development and strategy. He develops and delivers curriculum for Sage business partners on the art and practice of small business consulting including the Sage Consulting Academy, Business Strategy and Customer Experience Workshops. He also serves as the liaison to the Sage Leadership Association. Learn more

Lin Kroeger

Lin Kroeger is a senior fellow at the Business Learning Institute and has been a management consultant for 30 years, focusing on strategic communication and its role in leadership, management, and employee capability. Known for being practical and for providing custom consulting, Lin designs and delivers programs on leadership, organizational and interpersonal communication, change management, and team dynamics. Learn more

Peter Margaritis

As the chief “edutainment” officer for Peter A. Margaritis, LLC, Peter’s primary role is to help business leaders strengthen their business success skills. For some clients that means helping their team hone technical skills, while for other clients it means working to develop nontechnical, professional skills. With every client, the goal is the same: help the team improve their skills to improve business results. Learn more

Don McDaniel

Don McDaniel is a founder and president and CEO of Sage Growth Partners (SGP), a health care strategy and technology firm specializing in creating value for organizations in the health care industry and related industries. Learn more

Jack Park

Jack Park, MBA, CPA, CSP, is a nationally recognized consultant and speaker who is well respected as a developer and presenter of financial and leadership seminars. Jack's Certified Speaking Professional designation (CSP) has been granted to fewer than 8 percent of the 3,500 members of the National Speakers Association. Learn more

Alan Patterson

Dr. Alan Patterson has guided more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies in rethinking how best to elevate their talent and driving effective organizational change. He has 27 years of international consulting experience in change management, leadership development, and executive coaching. Learn more

Ray Perry

As founder and president of Skill Track, Ray Perry is a trusted adviser, speaker and coach in the areas of performance management, leadership development, and strategic planning. Leveraging more than 25 years of unique management insight and experience, he has inspired some of America’s industry-leading organizations to take action and realize the type of lasting change that unlocks greater performance, morale, and retention (PMR). Learn more

Gretchen Pisano

Gretchen is the cofounder and CEO of the P.link Coaching Center for Excellence, an executive coaching practice with a global clientele. Learn more

Frank Ryan

Frank is president of a management consulting firm specializing in turnarounds, workouts, crisis management, strategic planning, and working capital management. He has extensive experience working with banks in negotiating forbearance agreements, loan workouts, capital restructuring, vendor negotiations, and bank lending requirements. Frank is a leading expert in lean operations and management and has implemented numerous lean applications for organizations. Learn more

Matthew Ryan

Matt Ryan currently works in the audit and assurance division of a Pittsburgh-based public accounting firm, with experience in financial, transportation, and defense/manufacturing company audits. He also has extensive experience in agreed upon procedures testing and previously served as an auditor in support of a Department of Justice investigation into the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, a multi-billion-dollar facility created by British Petroleum (BP) following the Deepwater Horizon incident in April 2010. Learn more

Calvin Harris, Jr.

Calvin Harris Jr., CPA has over 20 years of “C-suite” level experience in working with organizations of various sizes. Learn more

Karl Ahlrichs

In a world of specialists, Karl Ahlrichs is first and foremost a human resource consultant and hiring process expert but also has significant experience in a wide range of business roles.

He has run a career center in the swamps of Lake Charles, Louisiana, another in Appalachia, and he has helped restructure Apple in Silicon Valley. He has directed videos in Chicago, marketed software in Orlando, and launched an office of Right Management Consultants in San Diego.

He has presented complex subjects to tough audiences for decades and enjoys the challenge of customizing his material for diverse audiences. He is an entertaining business generalist. He is in demand as a keynote presenter to conferences and organizational events and can both entertain in a keynote environment or as a trainer in an adult learning model.

Karl is very involved in the Society of Human Resource Management, having acted as conference chair for the Indiana State SHRM Conference and has presented at six consecutive National SHRM Conferences. He is currently enrolled in Butler's MBA program and is learning the language of finance. Karl is an SPHR (Senior Professional, Human Resources), is qualified to administer many assessment tools, and has a background with hiring, training, communications, and writing as a focal point.

Average Evaluation: 4.88

Participant Comments:

Karl was an inspiration.

Karl was fantastic.

Lots of laughs, learning, and good conversation - it was a welcome relief in comparison to the more typical, boring presentations that us accountants may be used to.

Very enthusiastic presenter.

Karl’s extensive knowledge on this topic was key to a successful session

Sheila Birnbach

For more than 30 years, Sheila Birnbach has followed her passion of helping individuals and organizations become more successful.

During Sheila’s early career, she spent ten years in banking, where she worked her way from an entry-level position to become the youngest vice president in the bank's history. In that capacity, she built a record of success in motivating and developing people, and formulated her pioneering concepts of staff development and human resource management.

Sheila later founded the consulting firm Birnbach Success Solutions (formerly GB Associates, Inc.). Birnbach Success Solutions works with small- and midsized organizations to enable them to attract and retain great employees and offer superior customer service that sets them apart from their competitors.

For more than 25 years, Sheila has consistently been one of the highest ranking faculty members at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for Organization Management, where she teaches courses that enhance the leadership skills of nonprofit executives. She has authored numerous articles and has been quoted in several professional journals and newsletters. Her book, Achieve Success in Your Organization: Focus on the Tip of the Iceberg, was written to help managers ensure others’ success while protecting organizations from legal vulnerabilities. She has also authored the lead chapter in the book Leadership: Helping Others to Succeed.

Sheila holds an M.B.A. in Human Resource Management from the American University and an M.S.W. from the University of Maryland. Her combination of first-hand management experience, 30 years as a consultant to a variety of organizations, and more than ten years’ experience as a family therapist, have qualified her as a leading executive coach to those who desire to excel in a competitive, challenging environment.

Greg Conderacci

For more than three decades, Greg Conderacci has been using the magic of communication to help people lead happier, more productive, and more rewarding lives.

A senior fellow with the Business Learning Institute, Greg is a marketing consultant that specializes in helping professional and financial services firms through training focuses that focus on key success skills like ethics, leadership, business development, communication, and even time/personal energy management. He also teaches marketing at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Greg’s experience includes director of marketing for Price Waterhouse’s information technology consulting practice in the Mid-Atlantic, Mid-Atlantic vice president of sales and marketing for Prudential’s managed care operations, and chief marketing officer for Alex. Brown (America’s Oldest Investment Bank). Most recently, he was responsible for marketing strategy, marketing materials creation and design, and sales force coaching and training as director of marketing for Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown.

A magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, Greg was editor-in-chief of The Daily Princetonian; he also holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University. A registered representative and registered principal, he has completed the Securities Industry Institute at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Average Evaluation: 4.97

Participant Comments:

The Discussion Leader was excellent, dynamic, and engaging!

I thoroughly enjoyed the course.

Energetic and passionate about the material.

It was thought-provoking.

Not a typical boring class- the instructor was very animated and clearly loved his job.

Bob Dean

Bob Dean, CPA has over 25 years’ experience focused on strategy and innovation in learning and talent development. Bob has served as a chief learning officer and a global learning leader for the past decade and now serves as a trusted advisor to clients focused on learning and development and talent management strategy and solutions. Bob combines business experience with a passion for designing, developing, and delivering breakthrough learning and talent management experiences and driving business impact.

Bob’s experience includes work as Grant Thornton’s chief learning officer, responsible for the firm’s learning vision and strategy, management of Grant Thornton University (GTU), and the Strategic Learning team. Bob also worked for many years at Ernst & Young LLP where he served in the firm’s audit practice, was national director of audit and industry professional development, and led several of the firm’s learning innovation initiatives in the 1990s. More recently, Bob focused on aligning learning and development with a global integrated talent management process while at Heidrick & Struggles.

Among Bob’s awards, in 2005, Bob Dean and Grant Thornton LLP were presented with a Learning Pioneer Award at Elliott Masie's Learning 2005 Conference. In 2006, Bob became a "Certified Experience Economy Expert"—joining the first group of professionals certified by the book's authors, Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore.

Bob is a CPA and a graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia. He has been active in the learning and talent development community for many years, presenting in workshops and seminars sponsored by Linkage, the Chicagoland Executive Learning Exchange, The MASIE Center, the e-Learning Guild, ASTD, and CLO Magazine.

Jennifer Elder

Jennifer Elder, CPA, CMA, CIA, CFF, CGMA is a keynote speaker, trainer, and business coach in the business of business transformation. For more than 20 years, she has been helping businesses by peeling back the layers of “administrivia” and finding the hidden strengths and core values that make companies awesome.

Jennifer works with businesses to develop a compelling business strategy that is quick to implement and transforms these businesses from what they are now to what they have always wanted to be.

Known for being energetic and enthusiastic, Jennifer has been delivering high-quality, customized training that makes complicated topics easy to understand, relevant, and useful. She has conducted seminars for Fortune 500 companies, U.S. government, state CPA societies, and CPA firms in 33 states. Her sessions are highly interactive, full of discussion, and even a little entertaining.

Jennifer received her BA from the University of Massachusetts and an MS in Organizational Management from Antioch University New England.

Average Evaluation: 4.77

Participant Comments:

I would like to go to every BLI course that Jennifer teaches.

She has great energy to keep class fun and open to conversation

Excellent presenter, great at making the course relevant and useful.

Great course.

Good energy! Great mix of topics.

Jennifer was engaging the entire day and taught us a lot of valuable information.

Sarah Gershman

Sarah Gershman is an executive speech coach with more than 15 years of teaching and theater experience. Sarah specializes in helping clients who work in date driven fields to clarify their message and cultivate presence.

Whether preparing for a keynote address, briefing senior officials, or presenting to a client, Sarah helps clients find their core message–and make that message stick. Sarah works with teams and executives in Fortune 50 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Her clients include Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Treasury Executive Institute.

Sarah is an Adjunct Professor of Communications at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and an adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership.

Sarah has a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University and a Masters in Judaic Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. She is a Wexner Graduate Alumni and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Literature.

Hubert Glover

Dr. Hubert D. Glover is an experienced leader and academician with more than 30 years of leading major enterprises including subsidiaries of PricewaterhouseCoopers and a joint venture with Shell Oil along with launching his own company REDE Inc. (which has won numerous awards for its services to federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies).

Hubert has written more than 50 articles in academic and professional journals from corporate governance to auditing to international accounting and emerging managerial issues. He has served on various boards of directors for major organizations including the American Institute of CPAs, Institute of Management Accountants, and executive committees for various other international professional and educational organizations.

Emmanuel Gobillot

Recognized as one of Europe’s most sought after and engaging business speakers, Emmanuel has made a name for himself challenging the most conference weary of audiences.

Emmanuel delivers high-paced, engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking speeches at conferences, events, and workshops. He delivers all these characteristics to audiences with satisfaction ratings from audiences averaging 90% as highly satisfied.

Calvin Harris, Jr.

Calvin Harris Jr., CPA has over 20 years of “C-suite” level experience in working with organizations of various sizes.

Calvin’s career began at Arthur Andersen and includes senior management roles as CFO at The Council for Excellence in Government, CFO at Aeras, controller at The United Nations Foundation, and interim CFO and controller at NeighborWorks America.

Today, Calvin is president of change management for Harvin Consulting, a boutique strategic management consulting firm providing administrative, financial, and project management support for commercial, not-for-profit, and government organizations. As one of the leaders of the firm, Calvin heads the “On-Call CFO” and Change Management practices for entrepreneurial and existing organizations.

Frequently contacted on matters related to business and leadership, Calvin has been quoted by numerous news sources including Inc., Black Enterprise, U.S. News & World Report, and Staples Business Hub. He was named one the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting” by Accounting Today in 2010 and 2012 and one of the "Top 50 Accountants on Twitter" in 2013. He has authored articles for the New York Enterprise Report and writes Harvin Consulting’s "Saga of a Reformed Beancounter" blog, a "Top 50 Accounting Blog."

Calvin is a Certified Public Accountant (licensed in the State of Maryland) and the Immediate Past national president (chairman of the board) of the National Association of Black Accountants. Calvin earned a Bachelor degree, with honors, in business administration from Morehouse College and is the former national treasurer of the Morehouse College Alumni Association.

Tom Hood

Tom Hood is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant, featured in the Journal of Accountancy, Accounting Today, and AccountingWeb. He is passionate about three areas: leadership, learning, and technology. These passions are reflected in his numerous recognition and awards which include being named the second most influential leader in the CPA Profession in Accounting Today’s 2013 list of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting (his ninth time on the list), being recruite by LinkedIn as one of its Top 150 Influencers, and being named to the Top 25 Influencers in Learning by HR Examiner.

Tom's recognition and awards reflect his leadership in helping CPAs “shape their future” through his work at the Maryland Association of CPAs and the Business Learning Institute, a center for the development of leadership, strategic thinking, and collaboration skills for CPAs.

Tom won the AICPA Special Recognition Award for his contributions to the profession leading the CPA Vision Project in 2003. He is also considered as a thought leader in the Association Community speaking at the DigitalNow Conference and the ASAE (American Society of Association Executives).

He is a graduate of Loyola College (B.A. in Accounting) and has a Master’s in Finance (Real Estate) from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s equivalent in Information Systems from the University of Baltimore. He also has obtained the Certified Information Technology Professional (CITP) certification and the Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA) certification from the AICPA.

"If there is a conversation about the future of the profession, you're bound to hear Hood's name mentioned as one of the people leading the way. From his Innovation Summit to his many speaking engagements, from his prolific tweets to his range of alliances with vendors, other organizations, and thought leaders and influencers at all levels, Hood is doing as much as anyone—and more than most—to lead public accounting forward."—Accounting Today 2013

Courtney Kirschbaum

Courtney Kirschbaum has spent more than 15 years project managing key initiatives for global business consulting firms and coaching individuals and teams. She has managed projects around the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific.

Using goal-setting and development principles, Courtney continues to realize her dream of living and working all over the world. She is one of the subjects in the book Soar to Success the Wright Way by writer and speaker Jim Meisner, who used Courtney’s successes to illustrate precisely how human development success principles really work.

Courtney’s drive to help people identify their self-imposed limitations and give them the support and tools to break through them inspired her to begin CKConsulting. She uses her business experience in concert with human development and coaching experience to show her clients how to get what they want out of their careers and their lives.

Courtney holds a B.S. in Communications and is a post baccalaureate in Information Systems. As a PMP certified project manager, she received her coaching and development training from Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Average Evaluation: 4.67

Participant Comments:

Courtney was excellent.

She is well versed in the subject matter and her presentation skills express the excitement that she feels.

I buy into the subject matter and have listened to many hours of tapes and Courtney is an excellent communicator.

Her knowledge of the subject matter and manner & excitement in her presentation skills are excellent.

She is engaging and high energy without being phony.

You can tell she loves what she is doing and helps you feel comfortable talking about things you don't normally talk about.

The amount of quotes stored in her head is impressive! She uses a lot of real life examples that you can actually relate to.

Ed Kless

Ed Kless joined Sage in July of 2003 and is currently the senior director of partner development and strategy. He develops and delivers curriculum for Sage business partners on the art and practice of small business consulting including the Sage Consulting Academy, Business Strategy and Customer Experience Workshops. He also serves as the liaison to the Sage Leadership Association.

Prior to joining Sage, Ed worked with Tipping Point Advisors, an organization dedicated to the growth and development of software implementation partners. In 1996, he co-founded Third Wave Business Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics GP partner that grew to 20 team members and $5 million in revenue. At Third Wave, Ed developed the implementation methodology and led the CRM and ERP consulting teams.

Ed is a frequent contributor to industry publications, including the Journal of Accountancy, Harvard Business Review and HR.com, and has spoken at many conferences worldwide on project management, pricing, and knowledge workers. He is also active in the Information Technology Alliance (ITA). Ed ran for Texas State Senate in 2010 and 2012 as a Libertarian.

Lin Kroeger

Lin Kroeger is a senior fellow at the Business Learning Institute and has been a management consultant for 30 years, focusing on strategic communication and its role in leadership, management, and employee capability. Known for being practical and for providing custom consulting, Lin designs and delivers programs on leadership, organizational and interpersonal communication, change management, and team dynamics.

Formerly president of The Communication Link Co., Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in strategic communication, a primary tool of change management, Lin provided services in executive and management coaching, development of ownership strategies, custom training, facilitation, and coaching teams on team dynamics and collaboration.

Having taught management writing at the Graduate School of Business, Cornell University, and having acted as the in-house writing expert at Arthur Andersen, Lin has guided the strategic redesign of audit and financial reports.

Lin’s clients have included Fortune 500 and Fortune 10 companies in financial services, pharmaceuticals, and consumer products. She has also worked with not-for-profit, education, and government groups and for both regional and national accounting firms.

A speaker and writer, Lin holds a B.A. from The College of William and Mary, a Master’s Degree from Villanova University, and a Master’s Degree from Cornell University.

Peter Margaritis

As the chief “edutainment” officer for Peter A. Margaritis, LLC, Peter’s primary role is to help business leaders strengthen their business success skills. For some clients that means helping their team hone technical skills, while for other clients it means working to develop nontechnical, professional skills. With every client, the goal is the same: help the team improve their skills to improve business results.

During the past 30 years in business, Peter has developed successful team by managing, recruiting, developing, hiring, and even firing individuals. He has sold products ranging from bank loans to corporate incentive certificates. In addition, he has created compensation matrixes, analyzed financial statements, and designed and delivered accounting and professional skills courses.

As a speaker and trainer, Peter has delivered over 80 seminars, conferences, and workshops on both technical and nontechnical topics to clients that include Fortune 500 companies, large and national regional accounting firms, state CPA associations, and the American Institute of CPAs.

Peter’s credentials include a BA from University of Kentucky and a Master’s in Accounting from Case Western Reserve University. He is a CPA and Certified Global Management Accountant with a certificate in IFRS from the Institute of Chartered Accountant in England in Wales. Currently, he serves on the faculty of Ohio Dominican University and the University of Maryland at University College. He has worked for companies such as Price Waterhouse, Victoria’s Secret Catalogue, Gap Inc. Direct, Barnett Bank, C&S National Bank, Columbus State Community College, and Franklin University.

Average evaluation: 4.83

Participant Comments:

Excellent Speaker. I truly enjoyed the class!

Peter was excellent.

Good course and engaging speaker.

The class was very entertaining.

Peter’s video tips and interactive approach was very engaging.

Very good speaker-kept audience engaged and promoted discussions. Very good seminar

Great course, very interactive, open discussion between attendees and discussion leaders. I enjoyed the class

The leader was someone I could relate to which made it that much more impactful.

Good course and engaging speaker.

The class was very entertaining.

Peter’s video tips and interactive approach was very engaging.

Very good speaker-kept audience engaged and promoted discussions. Very good seminar

Great course, very interactive, open discussion between attendees and discussion leaders. I enjoyed the class

The leader was someone I could relate to which made it that much more impactful.

Don McDaniel

Don McDaniel is a founder and president and CEO of Sage Growth Partners (SGP), a health care strategy and technology firm specializing in creating value for organizations in the health care industry and related industries.

Don is faculty member of the Carey Business School of the Johns Hopkins University, teaching health economics and competitive strategy.

Prior to his role at SGP, McDaniel held a series of leadership positions with a variety of health care, technology, and insurance organizations, and has served on a number of proprietary and not-for-profit boards.

Jack Park

Jack Park, MBA, CPA, CSP, is a nationally recognized consultant and speaker who is well respected as a developer and presenter of financial and leadership seminars. Jack's Certified Speaking Professional designation (CSP) has been granted to fewer than 8 percent of the 3,500 members of the National Speakers Association.

In 1989 he founded Financial Insights, a consulting and seminar development firm, after serving 22 years with four major corporations. Many of his programs are presented for State CPA Institutes/Associations/Societies, Corporations, and Associations. Jack presented nationally in 33 different states in 2005. He has also delivered his financial programs in Mexico City and Bogota, Colombia.

Jack is the author of The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia and Ohio State Football ... The Great Tradition. His daily radio commentaries have been a mainstay of Ohio State football for the past 27 seasons. He reveals the common threads between championship football programs and high performance organizations in his keynote The Leadership Secrets of Football's Master Coaches.

He received his M.B.A. from The University of Pittsburgh and his B.S. in Accounting from The Ohio State University. His corporate experience included positions of vice-president of finance, controller, director of business planning, manager of cost accounting, and manager of internal auditing. He is a member of the AICPA, the IMA, the National Speakers Association, the Ohio Society of CPAs, and the Football Writers Association of America.

Alan Patterson

Dr. Alan Patterson has guided more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies in rethinking how best to elevate their talent and driving effective organizational change. He has 27 years of international consulting experience in change management, leadership development, and executive coaching.

In 2006 he formed Mentoré, a consulting organization that focuses on aligning leadership, strategy, roles, and skill sets to major shifts in the business. Prior to Mentoré, Alan worked as a partner for 20 years at Bryan Associates, Inc., a consulting group specializing in competency-based talent development initiatives.

Alan’s expertise has been tapped by many global and national organizations, including Anheuser-Busch, CVS, Entergy, Federal Reserve Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Hewlett-Packard, Major League Baseball, Merck, Sea World, the United States Navy, and Williams Sonoma.

A published author, Alan has been a featured speaker and workshop leader for several national associations, including serving as a national expert resource for the American Institute for CPAs (AICPA) and many state CPA associations. He holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MA from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and an Ed.D. from Boston University.

Average Evaluation: 4.92

Participant Comments:

The instructor was one of the better ones I have had.

This course was valuable to me and I enjoyed listening to the discussion leader/teacher. He was witty and relevant

Ray Perry

As founder and president of Skill Track, Ray Perry is a trusted adviser, speaker and coach in the areas of performance management, leadership development, and strategic planning. Leveraging more than 25 years of unique management insight and experience, he has inspired some of America’s industry-leading organizations to take action and realize the type of lasting change that unlocks greater performance, morale, and retention (PMR).

Ray has worked with clients that include American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Johns Hopkins University and Medical Institutions, Northrop Grumman, Accenture, Lowe’s, The National Academy of Sciences, Association of American Medical Colleges, Institute of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Black and Decker, IBM, American Express, Federal Express, and Disney Imagineering.

Prior to Skill Track, Ray served in a variety of management positions for more than 12 years with Nissan North America, where he helped lead numerous affiliate organizations, teams, and individuals in achieving their best-ever performance levels.

A native of Rhode Island, Ray earned a BA in psychology and business administration from Roger Williams University. In addition to being a senior fellow at the Business Learning Institute, Ray also is a member of the National Speakers Association, the International Federation for Professional Speakers, the Society for Human Resource Management, and American Independent Writers.

Gretchen Pisano

Gretchen is the cofounder and CEO of the P.link Coaching Center for Excellence, an executive coaching practice with a global clientele.

With 18 years of experience developing sound business strategy with her clients supporting her, Gretchen specializes in the development of human potential across the personal/professional spectrum of life. She has worked with senior leaders, executive teams, and emerging talent in the fields of technology, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, public relations, and finance. In the social benefit sector she has worked in the areas of federal and state health and human services and ocean conservancy. In the public sector she has engaged with leadership in the World Bank, Army and Air National Guard, and the U.S. Air Force.

Gretchen has earned her Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation from the International Coach Federation, and her Master Coach Certification from Martha Beck, Inc. She has a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Business from the University of Southern California. She has been trained by The Grove in visual facilitation and practiced as an international graphic facilitator for seven years. Gretchen is a qualified provider of Gallup’s Strength Based Leadership assessment, the VIA Pro: Character Strengths assessment, and a certified coach in The Leadership Circle Profile 360 assessment tool.

In addition to her work with the P.link Coaching Center for Excellence, Gretchen heads Sounding Board Ink, a strategy consulting group with a global practice, and is a member of the teaching faculty with Martha Beck Inc. and the Business Learning Institute.

Average Evaluation: 4.82

Participant Comments:

This was one of my favorite trainings ever.

The information was incredibly useful, encouraging and motivational - all in one fun package.

The instructor was well versed and was able to exude compassion and listening capabilities while continuing to maintain the pace

I loved this class.

I think it's so relevant to the new normal in our workplaces and we should invest more in this type of education.

Frank Ryan

Frank is president of a management consulting firm specializing in turnarounds, workouts, crisis management, strategic planning, and working capital management. He has extensive experience working with banks in negotiating forbearance agreements, loan workouts, capital restructuring, vendor negotiations, and bank lending requirements. Frank is a leading expert in lean operations and management and has implemented numerous lean applications for organizations.

Prior to his consulting business, Frank was the chief operating officer of a midsized manufacturing company. Additionally, he has served as the chairman of the Audit Committees of two publicly traded companies and has extensive board level experience in for-profit and nonprofit arenas.

Frank is a retired Colonel in the United States Marine Corps and has served in numerous contingency operations to include Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He is currently president of the Board of Directors of the Good Shepherd Center in Maryland, as well as on the Audit Committee of the Archdioceses of Baltimore, and is a multiyear recipient of the AICPA Outstanding Discussion Leader Award.

Matthew Ryan

Matt Ryan currently works in the audit and assurance division of a Pittsburgh-based public accounting firm, with experience in financial, transportation, and defense/manufacturing company audits. He also has extensive experience in agreed upon procedures testing and previously served as an auditor in support of a Department of Justice investigation into the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, a multi-billion-dollar facility created by British Petroleum (BP) following the Deepwater Horizon incident in April 2010.

In addition to public accounting, Matt works with his father, Frank Ryan, as a co-owner of a management consulting firm specializing in turnarounds, workouts, crisis management, strategic planning, and due diligence research.

Outside of his work in public accounting and consulting, Matt has served for over ten years in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. In 2009, then-First Lieutenant Ryan deployed to Iraq as a Company Executive Officer and Brigade Medical Logistics Officer, assuming key roles in the overall medical operations of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Still a member of the National Guard, Matt holds the rank of Captain and serves as Company Commander for a 160-soldier Distribution/Logistics unit based in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

Matt earned his B.S. in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University and is currently an MBA candidate at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (Class of 2013). He earned his Certified Fraud Examiner license in 2012 and is currently working on earning his CPA license.

Bill Sheridan

Bill is a knowledge hunter, content curator, lifelong learner, and the Maryland Association of CPAs’ chief communications officer, editor, and resident social media cheerleader. He is the creator and coauthor of the association’s acclaimed blog, CPA Success. He also writes and produces the MACPA’s podcast, CPA Spotlight, and manages the association’s numerous social networks.

Bill speaks regularly to CPAs and association groups on the strategic uses of social media and the future of communication, collaboration, and education. He has presented at the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s 2011 CPD Conference and its 2011 International Conference, the AICPA’s inaugural Digital CPA Conference in 2012, and the first-ever CCH Small Firms Conference, also in 2012. He delivers frequent presentations on behalf of the Business Learning Institute and is a certified Insights to Action facilitator.

A journalist by trade, Bill oversees the MACPA’s online and print content. His articles about the MACPA and the CPA profession have appeared in the Journal of Accountancy, Associations Now and SmartCEO.

He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 2010, he earned the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives.